New broadcast facilities being readied for Nexstar, owner of Memphis TV stations

The City Council on Tuesday will consider a special-use permit to install a 185-foot TV transmission tower and TV satellite dishes in the back parking lot of 1725 Shelby Oaks, near I-40 in northeast Memphis.

And at the same address, construction is underway to renovate 26,526 square feet for Nexstar, the Texas-based broadcasting group which last year purchased sister TV stations ABC 24 (WPTY) and CW30 (WLMT).

But station officials have not confirmed if the station is moving eight miles from its longtime headquarters, just east of Midtown at 2701 Union Ext.

The construction permit to renovate the one-story office/warehouse space in Shelby Oaks Business Center was issued to property owner Belz Invesco in February.

The local stations are now housed in the mid-rise office building at 2701 Union Ext. The 50-year-old building sits on 2.7 acres and has 55,980 square feet, according to the Shelby County Assessors Office. The building, with its transmission tower, satellite dishes and station signage, is considered a landmark for motorists passing over the Poplar Avenue viaduct.

The structure, appraised for $2 million, was sold to Nexstar on Nov. 30 for $814,000, public records show

The building has changed hands for as much as $2.3 million, in 1986.

The TV tower is not explicitly allowed in the Shelby Oaks planned development, so Belz seeks a special-use permit. The staff of the Memphis & Shelby County Office of Planning and Development recommend that a permit be granted. The Land Use Control Board also has recommended approval.

The tower and satellite dishes "don't significantly change the intent of the planned business park," a staff report states.

The TV tower will be designed to withstand 90 mph winds.

The Shelby Oaks site is halfway between I-40 to the south and Summer on the north.

The 1725 Shelby Oaks building is where MCI and then WorldCom long-distance telecommunication companies once operated in Memphis. The call center there closed in 2002.